As Alan struggled to interpret what this strange beast was trying to convey, his attempts to understand were interrupted by a quest completion notification flashing into existence right in front of his face. His attention drifted to his PSA, and everything around him became nothing more than background noise.
Remarkable! You have completed the first objective of your (HIDDEN QUEST)! New objective gained!
✓1/4- Defeat every Dungeon born monster located on the dungeons first floor. (100/100)
Completion Reward: 250 (Iron Grade) Lotus coins, 5 (E-Stage) Mana Crystals.
+10000 Bonus Exp gained!
Alan was once again unprepared when a small section of the air shattered, a crack opening soundlessly as the eerie System reward door opened up. He backed up against the wall, staring warily at the miniature black hole hovering soundlessly in the middle of the room. Without giving any warning, it started spitting out colorful gems onto the floor at his feet. Reacting purely on instinct, he threw a quick jab at the reward door, but his fist was deflected by a soft, yet sturdy layer of force that appeared in the doors defense.
After understanding what he was seeing, and getting over his initial unease, Alan opened up his Quests tab. He quickly reviewed the information while scooping up his System Rewards one by one, and placing them into his Storage Ring.
***HIDDEN QUEST***
✓ 1/4- Defeat every Dungeon born monster located on the dungeons first floor. (100/100) Completion Reward: 250 (Iron Grade) Lotus coins, 5 (F-Stage) Mana Crystals.
2/4- Survive the trials of the second floor and locate the entrance to the heart of the Labyrinth. (0/5) Completion Reward: 500 (Iron Grade) Lotus coins and 1 randomly generated (F-Stage) Growth-type weapon.
“Of COURSE it would be more Gods blasted Trials!“ Alan moaned out. The thought made him unconsciously caress his smooth stump of a left arm.
Well, on the upside it says I'll get a growth-type weapon..Alan pondered over his new Dungeon objective's rewards, trying to distract himself from the shit-show that he knew was surely waiting for him on the Second Floor. Wait...how does a weapon even grow? What does that actually mean? Oh! Could it be something like Grandpa Gohan's Power Pole? Like a small weapon that gets bigger when fed Mana…I wonder if it could…
The Naga quickly lost its patience with being ignored, and after huffing out an annoyed breath, she started to form a vast swarm of tiny pebbles. Alan was so distracted with retrieving his loot and studying his PSA that he failed to notice what she was doing.
The fed-up Naga cast a rapid fire burst of stone bb's at the Human so rudely pretending not to hear her.
Again and again, the stone pellets hit Alan's [Aqua Shield], always landing in a closely grouped together cluster. As the tiny stones ricocheted off the barrier, a pile of rocks stacked up on the white stone tile at his feet. The tightly packed collisions started to release ripples across [Aqua Shield], which soon grew into rampant waves rolling across the barrier's surface.
Individually the tiny impacts had virtually no effect on his shield, but the repetitive strikes quickly piled on the damage. Alan watched with concern as the translucent surface of his shield roiled and wobbled unsteadily under the relentless assault of the Naga's seemingly endless supply of ammunition.
His concern quickly turned to worry as the deluge rushed across his barrier. The frothy water converged behind him. The waves came together and grew in intensity, forming a single large swell. Without further warning, the entire Spell shuddered unsteadily and ruptured.
Standing in a puddle of dissipating water, and now exposed to the stinging flurry of pebbles, Alan felt the time for a resolution had come. One way or another.
"Wait!" Alan yelled, holding out his arm in an attempt to keep his teeth from getting busted by stone fragments while he tried to communicate. "I'm not ignoring you dammit! I can't understand what in any of the Nine Hells it is you're trying to say. And I'm afraid this Gods forsaken Dungeon is going to try to eat my loot!"
With a single gesture, the Naga dispersed her ammunition into a cloud of sand that drifted lazily to the tile floor. With a questioning look, she tilted her narrow face to the side and made direct eye contact. Alan gazed intensely into her golden eyes, and she slowly started speaking to him while gesturing animatedly.
Once again, she pointed at herself, then to Alan, over to the Boss Room door, and then finally she jabbed her index finger up towards the roof. Over and over she repeated this chain of gestures, while speaking in her strangely musical language.
Remarkable! Your Skill (C)[Multiversal Language Comprehension] has grown to Level 3!
He was fairly certain he understood what the intimidating snake-woman wanted from him, but as he tried to gather his jumbled up thoughts, the look on her face slowly transformed from one of excitement to a piercing glare of irritation.
Alan rubbed his hand across his prickly, unshaven jawline in contemplation. Before the situation worsened, he thrust out his hand in a halting motion. Stone-faced, the Naga scrutinized him icily. Nevertheless she quieted down, allowing Alan to begin speaking.
"First things first, can you understand me?" Alan asked while he attempted not to outwardly show just how nervous he really was. He vowed silently that he would try to avoid a fight if at all possible. Especially now that his Quest objective was completed, and still they both remained alive.
If she's willing to talk, Alan thought, then I'm willing to listen…but just in case.. He called a Shadow Shuriken from his Storage Ring and used his fingers to shove it under the edge of his bracer. The Naga momentarily regarded him with open suspicion. But when Alan re-opened his hand, the statuesque snake-woman slowly narrowed her eyes to slits, nodding her head up and down.
Stay calm, and try to stay in control Alan..you can handle this. Damn though! She's like...REALLY pretty though! Oh man...this is pathetic dude…at least she put those titties away. I don't think I could handle that kind of pressure right now…
The realization that the Naga was now wearing a billowing white blouse pulled his gaze from his PSA. It constantly shifted as if being blown about by a nonexistent breeze. He lowered his gaze, but had to admit it suited her well
A sudden, but much-appreciated veil of calmness overtook his confused lusting as his Emotional Stockpile woke up and greedily ingested the growing distraction. Knowing his Stockpile had to be getting close to full, Alan hesitantly pulled up the Skill's information and checked it's progression.
*Unique*{Suit of Anger} Lvl 1 Current Emotional Stockpile: 77%
Damnit! It's getting up there..Alan worried. Before the she-beast noticed his distraction and grew irate once again, he wet his lips and continued.
"How did you learn to understand English?" He asked, beginning to grow excited. "Have you already met other Humans? Where are they?? Are there any here in the Dungeon? Or is it some kind of language Skill?"
She raised two slim fingers, holding them out to Alan's face. With a huff of annoyance, she crossed her arms and glared at him with unrestrained irritation. She clearly wasn't enjoying the interrogation.
"So just to clarify,” Alan continued, not even taking notice of her frustration. “It's because of a language Skill?" He replied, to which she closed her eyes and nodded once. She raised her hand and began to massage her temples. Oblivious to her growing frustration, and ecstatic to finally have someone to talk to, he kept chattering away.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
"I have a language Skill too." Alan said, "it's called [Multiversal Language Comprehension]. Is that the same Skill you have?" Another nod. "Then why can't I understand you? Every time you talk, all I hear is something that sounds like hauntingly beautiful funeral music. It's honestly a bit off-putting. Is it because my Skill is only Level 3?"
That question finally broke the Naga's stony disposition towards Alan. The moment the words came out of his mouth, her eyes widened with obvious shock and her jaw dropped. Visibly stunned, the Naga held up three fingers while glancing between Alan's face, and gesturing at her outstretched hand.
"Yeah…that's what I'm saying. My language Skill is only Level 3. And if I'm being honest, I only gained those first two Levels just a moment ago…shile I listened to your song..speech, sorry. Ever since the Tutorial started, I haven't had any contact with anyone aside from Tutorial Administrators and a weird purple box, so I really don't know much about what's going on..I love the accent by the way, I'm assuming you aren't from Texas!" Alan finished awkwardly in a high pitched squeak.
He immediately regretted opening his stupid mouth.
As he tried to gauge her reactions, the utter disbelief plastered across her face made Alan sure she was either about to attack, or flee. Perhaps both.
In an attempt to stay her hand, Alan stammered on.
"I don't really know how long I've been down here, but aside from that Golem you just obliterated, I did manage to kill the other 99 Dungeon Born Monsters. I also got rid of that Sandstorm Elemental, but realistically that one was more Luck and stupidity than anything." He paused for emphasis. "That thing sucked ass." He finished.
As the words left his mouth, Alan immediately regretted them. Even to himself, he sounded both clueless and desperate. How foolish must he sound to this strange beast standing there staring at him in an undisguised panic?
Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Alan felt it necessary to defend himself from his own harsh self-analysis.
"Look, I know I'm not coming off as the most capable of individuals, but I AM level 18 now…and I've survived this far right? That's gotta count for something…plus I'm actually pretty good with Spells, although I have blown myself up on more than one occasion... And I ca..."
The melodic sound of laughter caused him to freeze mid-sentence and look up. He watched on with rising embarrassment as the Naga began to thrash side to side in a fit of laughter. In a failed attempt to calm herself, the Naga held her palms out and tried talking, but her laughter was becoming increasingly hysterical, cutting off her words before they could be formed. For some reason, Alan found it was infectious.
Remarkable! Your Skill(C) [Multiversal Language Comprehension] has grown to Level 4!
Soon Alan joined in, and for a brief spell, all of his worries melted away. Unable to stop himself, Alan strode forward to just within arms reach of the Naga, laughing as he approached.
Extending his arm, Alan grasped her delicate hand before she could flee, while making uneasy eye contact. "My name is Alan. Alan Robbins, and I'm from a planet now known as Terra-764. I apologize if our first meeting made me seem like some kind of a creep or a pervert...after my planet was introduced to the system, nearly all of my kind died in the ensuing chaos. So as far as I can remember, you're the first young woman I've ever met. Your state of um... "He looked around, searching for the right words. "We'll call it 'undress'." He decided.
"Well if I'm being honest, it caught me completely off guard. And while I'm willing to admit I might've been entranced by what I saw... I truly hope we can figure out a way to move forward and avoid fighting each other."
Her laughter slowly died down, and still hand-in-hand with Alan, she studied him from head to toe. Seemingly satisfied with what she saw, she smiled casually, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.
For a moment she stared blankly over Alan's head. Just as he was about to ask what was wrong, the Naga's Status tab suddenly showed up on his PSA Screen.
Not only had she sent a list of her Statistics to him, but even more astonishing was the fact that he was able to read it perfectly.
Name: Su'ong Zhú
Race: Beast-folk (F) LVL 14 EXP 17612/44000
Class: (B) Wandering Mini-boss
Beast Core: (E-Stage) *Water/Earth Attuned* (Water attunement sealed by Dungeon Master)
Titles: Blessed Child of the Water, Citizen of the Multiverse, Tutorial Warden
***STATISTICS***
*MAINTAINED BY DUNGEON MASTER*
Hp: 5100/5100
Mp: 5210/5690
Stamina: 3178/3300
Hp Regeneration: 100 per hour
Mp Regeneration: 110 per hour
Stamina Regeneration: 83 per hour
Strength: 53
Constitution: 53
Vitality: 53
Endurance: 53
Perception: 53
Agility: 75
Dexterity: 53
Intelligence: 60
Wisdom: 60
Resistance: 60
Willpower: 60
Luck: 8
Unallocated Status Points: 0
*** SKILLS***
???
*** SPELLS ***
???
***TECHNIQUES***
???
On a whim, as Alan glossed over the information on her tab, he willed his own Status tab to Su'ong. He quickly glanced up at the Naga. "Did you get it?" He asked "I just tried to send you my Stats." She immediately shook her head no. So he tried again, and this time Alan saw her gaze seem to lose focus on the room around her. Her eyes flicked back and forth, and it quickly became obvious that she was studying his own statistics.
I can't see her Skills or Spells? And why are her Stats so low? What's that about? I wonder if it has something to do with the whole 'maintained by Dungeon Master' thing? What the fuck does that even mean? Is that the big Boss of this place? Alan rubbed his temples, his current line of thought was making his brain hurt.
Su'ongs eyes widened to the point it seemed they were surely about to pop out of her head. He saw multiple emotions flash across her features in the span of a second. It was a look of fear and suspicion, though if Alan wasn't mistaken, her gaze was laced with excitement. She looked at Alan and pointed at a spot in the air right in front of her face, but to his knowledge, there wasn't anything there. When she saw his obvious confusion, she leaned down and faced away from him.
Now looking over her shoulder, he found he was now able to see his Statistics on her PSA. Her left hand was gesturing at the word 'Human', and her right hand's index finger was pointing was exactly what he'd feared. She wanted to know why he had Daemonic abilities. Her finger sat just below the listing for [Daemonfire of the Impure Realm], and the look in her eyes said he'd best not try and lie. The snake-woman known as Su'ong Zhú wanted an explanation.
Alan sighed and began to explain. "Did I not mention my race? Sorry, didn't really think it was a big deal. I mean, the Multiverse is huge right? There's surely gotta be other Humans out there...somewhere. Right?" The look on her face told him all he needed to know. "So that's a no then...Alan responded quietly. "Well I guess I'm not all that surprised, what with how the System Administration reacted to our presence in my home world...anyways, as for the [Daemonfire of the Impure Realm] Skill, that one was a total fluke...I think. Possibly..." He shook his head, "Honestly, probably not."
He told her how he'd been experimenting with his Spells, and that his glaring lack of knowledge led him to making several costly mistakes. The worst of which had very nearly ended his life. He explained how forcing additional Mana into his Spell had led to the powerful backfire of his [Fireball], and that ominous System prompts had then appeared, warning him of something or someone called Zalbohg the Impure.
Finally he told her about the eerie box appearing at his feet, neatly tied with a pink ribbon. "I should've known it was another trap..." Alan said, staring at his feet like an apologetic child. "As soon as I touched that damned box, a voice came out of it! It almost gave me a heart attack!" He looked at Su'ong to guage her reaction to his words, but her face might as well have been a mask of stone. He couldn't glean a single shred of information without asking directly. Which he had no plans of doing.
"Anyways, it said for me to 'give my regards' to something called a Garthaniel, and then it beamed a bunch of energy into me like some kind of old alien movie or something. I ended up getting a Title and a Skill in the process. And supposedly, BOTH came from that ArchDaemon I was telling you about."
When Alan saw her look away, he was sure his chance of working together with the Naga had just vanished into smoke. And even if he asked her why, he wouldn't be able to understand her response.
If she even bothers to answer. Alan thought glumly. As his heart began to sink, Su'ong gave him a sidelong glance. She turned around, studying his face for what seemed to Alan to be the longest moment of his life, before tossing him a thumbs up and another one of her bright smiles. As Alan's hopes rose ever higher, she once more began to speak rapidly, though this time around Alan was unsure if she'd been talking to him, or to herself.
Remarkable! Your Skill(C) [Multiversal Language Comprehension] has grown to Level 5! +1 Free Status Point
"Yeah..I still don't know what you're talking about," Alan stated nonchalantly, "but my [Multiversal Language Comprehension] Skill just went up to Level 5, so...maybe keep it up?" Su'ong paused long enough to give him a contemplative look before continuing to speak.
Closing his eyes, Alan activated [Tenacious Concentration] and sat on the floor. He immediately sensed the Skill take effect and help to tune out his surroundings. Lost in the Skill's effects, he simply listened to the soothing sound of her voice.
Remarkable! Your Skill(C)[Multiversal Language Comprehension] has grown to Level 6!
...
...
Remarkable! Your Skill(C)[Multiversal Language Comprehension] has grown to Level 8!
Remarkable! Your Skill (U)[Tenacious Concentration] has grown to Level 5! +1 Free Status Point!
"We should.....without too much...although I'm not sure what's beyond...joke of a door." Without him even realizing it, Alan's latest Level to his language Skill had at last allowed him to translate Su'ong's speech. Although it was still spotty at the very best, Alan breathed a sigh of relief.
Slowly but surely, he was beginning to understand her.